At the launch, we were delighted to get the insights of Juan Aguiriano, Group Head Sustainability, Kerry Group; Leisha Daly, Senior Director Government Affairs, Supply Chain EMEA & J&J Ireland at Johnson & Johnson; and David McRedmond, CEO An Post.

Climate change is the single greatest challenge faced by humankind today. As part of a wider global response, Ireland needs to play its part by taking decisive action to decouple emissions from population and economic growth, and to transition to a competitive low carbon economy.

Conor Minogue, Ibec Senior Executive-Infrastructure, Energy and Environment, addressed delegates at the launch of the major new report.

This major new report is the latest component of Ibec's campaign, Better Lives, Better Business, that aims to make Ireland a better place to live and work. To explore the campaign further, head to Ibec's dedicated website.

We were delighted to host Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in our Dublin office recently. The engagement provided a great opportunity to re-emphasise Ireland and Scotland's shared economic interests, and examine how we can protect and build on them.

The First Minister is pictured with Ibec CEO Danny McCoy and Ibec President Paraic Curtis.

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, pictured engaging with Ibec members at the group's head office in Dublin.

Throughout May, Ibec engaged in a European Parliament election campaign that introduced key business priorities into the political debate and promoted wider stakeholder engagement on EU issues. We hosted a series of debates with the leading MEP candidates in Cork, Dublin and Galway.

Throughout the month, we had a dramatic change to the look of the Dublin office. The key campaign messages and images featured on a large wrap of the building, which provided a striking visual representation of Ibec’s campaign.

"Local businesses, not central government, are the primary source of income for local authorities. Business contributions directly account for €1.51 billion or 35% of total local government budget. As both an employer and contributor to economic growth, business has a massive stake in how local government works."

Last month, we launched our Local Elections 2019 campaign, encouraging Irish business to go out and have their voices heard.

Pictured at the launch are Fergal O'Brien, Ibec Director of Policy and Public Affairs; Lavinia Ryan-Duggan, Vhi Healthcare Corporate Business Manager; Aodh Quinlivan, Director of the Centre for Local and Regional Governance (CLRG) at University College Cork; and Maureen Walsh, Managing Director DeCare Dental Insurance Ireland.

"Growth brings opportunities, but also challenges. How Ireland manages this growth will have implications for the decades ahead as more people seek employment and enjoy good living standards in a workplace undergoing significant change."

In May, we welcomed Jennifer Petriglieri, Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD to Dublin, for a special joint event with AIB to mark 'Better Balance for Better Business'.

Professor Petriglieri provided fascinating insights into the latest trends emerging in the global labour market force, including the rise of dual career couples. You can hear more from her research through her interview on the Ibec Podcast.

The Ibec KeepWell Summit took place in Croke Park in early June. Over 300 businesses who were in attendance at this flagship event. Attendees heard from industry leaders the means by which they can embed health and wellbeing into their corporate cultures in a way that enhances the mental, social and physical wellbeing and productivity of all employees.

The keynote address of the Ibec KeepWell Summit 2019 came from renowned international rugby union referee, Nigel Owens.

The Irish Medtech Association was proud to support the Republic of Ireland Powerchair team in their recent European Powerchair Championship in Finland. The team performed brilliantly, defeating one of the pre-tournament favourites Denmark to place third overall and take home the bronze medal!

Pictured are Sinead Keogh, Director of the Irish Medtech Association; Emer O’Sullivan, Team Captain for the Republic of Ireland; John Moore, Head Coach; and Donal Byrne, Secretary, Association of Irish Powerchair football (AIPF).

Ibec was delighted to host Ann Johnson, Corporate VP of Cybersecurity at Microsoft, for a special briefing on the technological dynamics that are shaping the new world of work and both the opportunities and threats they bring to the business community.

She is pictured in conversation with Ibec COO/Deputy CEO, Liam O'Donoghue.

The Public Relations Institute of Ireland recently held a special briefing in conjunction with Trinity College Dublin's Department of Political Science, that explored perspectives of lobbying regulation in Ireland.

As Ireland’s largest lobbying organisation and its number one business lobby, Ibec has advocated for and supported lobbying reform, including the introduction of the Lobbying Act in 2015.

Financial Services Ireland welcomed Minister of State at the Department of Finance and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael D'Arcy T.D. to Ibec, to take part in a round-table session discussing the new 'Ireland: Financial services powerhouse' strategy.

It is FSI's objective that Ireland becomes a top 20 global financial centre by 2025. The new strategy document lays the foundation to achieve this objective.

The Minister is pictured with Paul Sweetman, Director of Financial Services Ireland.

Retail Ireland, the Ibec group that represents the sector, recently held its Annual Lunch in the Marker Hotel, Dublin, in which guests heard of the emerging trends in the sector from industry experts.

Pictured are Retail Ireland Director, Tom Burke; BWG Foods MD and outgoing chair of Retail Ireland, Willie O'Byrne; Cate Trotter, Head of Trends at Insider Trends; and Brian Donaldson, Group General Manager of Maxol Group and incoming Chair of Retail Ireland.

Ibec CEO Danny McCoy recently gave an address at the opening of Trinity College Dublin's new Business School building.

In his speech, he outlined how Ireland's future success will be underpinned by talented & educated people and that facilities such as this business school will be a great contributor to this ambition.

He is pictured alongside Carolyn Fairbairn, Director-General of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Paul Drechsler, Vice-President of CBI.